Limb-setting table.



M. SCHNUG.

LIMB SETTING TABLE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT-22. 1914.

1,148,996. Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- Jar 562m 4, Z7 27 12 MW '1 2 ATTORNEYS? COLUMBIA PMNOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

LIME-SETTING TABLE.

Application filed September 22, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAX SOI-INUG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bonduel, in the county of Shawano and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Limb-Setting Tables, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the setting of fractures of bones, particularly to the bones of the lower limbs, the femur, tibia, or fibula, and the main object thereof is to provide a table upon which the patient reclines whlch is provided with means for drawing the fractured members of itrlOOIlG into alinement and maintaining the same therein during the dressing of the leg, such as applying a plaster cast, splints, bandages, etc.

A further object is to provide means 1n such a table for setting'a fracture with the limb arranged inany one of a plurality of positions according to the position or character of the fracture, or to ease the patient.

A further object is to so construct thedevice as to permit of thedressing of a limb without any movement thereof, as such movements tend to move the fractured ends of the bone outof alinement, and also tend to disarrange the cast before itis hard; and a further object is to provide such a device which is simple in construction and use, well adapted to the purposefor which it 1s intended, comparatively inexpensive, and collapsible when not in use. v

My invention is fully described in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawingsform a part, in which theseparate parts aredesignated by the same reference characters in each of the views, and in which:-- I I Figure 1 isa perspective view of my 1nvention, ready for, use, but no bandages or bands being shown; Fig. 2 is a central, vertical, longitudinal, section thereof; Fig. 3 is a section taken onthe line 33 of 2; Fig. 4c is a view of the tablein use for setgting a fracture in the tibia or fibula; Fig.5 is a view of one method of setting a fracture of the femur; Fig. 6 is a view of another method for setting the tibia or fibula, depending upon gravity; Fig. 7 is a View of another method for setting the femur, depending upon gravity; and Figs. 8and 9 are fragmentary views of details of the con.- struction.

In the drawings forming a, part of this Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

Serial No. 862,917.

application I have shown a present preferred form of embodiment of my invention, comprising a main frame 10 consisting of two members 11 and 12 hinged together at 13, whereby they may be folded, one upon the other, said frame being rabbeted on its upper side to receive a plurality of loose boards let in one of said members, and a loose, reversible board 15 in the other member; the member 11 also carries a removable board 16, transversely arranged, and which is adjustably locked in desired position by means of a spring bolt 17 in each end, Fig. 8, which is adapted to enter one of a plurality of holes 18, Fig. 1, in the corresponding side bars of said member; said board 16 has a metal support 19 secured thereto and upwardly extended, centrally of said board, for a strap 20, one end of which is adjustably held between the edge of said board and a plate 21, the inner surface of which is roughened to engage said strap and prevent the same from slipping, said plate being adapted to be tightened by means of suitable bolts and wing-nuts, Fig. 9; the other end of said strap is looped and engaged in a peripheralgroove22 in a transversely arranged rod 23 flush with the upper surlacc of the frame 10, Fig. 2, and held by a threadedsocket 24 at one end, Fig. 1, and by a hook 25 at the other end, and it will be seen that this rod may be removed at will, even though a patient be on the frame 10.

The framemember 12 is provided with two transverse bars 26 and 27 having, each, a block 28 thereon and centrally thereof, which serve to maintain the board 15 in the position shown, or reversed to the other side of the frame member, through the medium of an apron 29 on the lower surface of said board. Pivoted at 30, to the end of the frame member 12, is a frame 31 which is foldable outwardly but not inwardly of the member 12, and serves as a support for two uprights 32 and 33, of which the former is very short, whereas the latter extends for a considerable distance above the frame 10 and is provided with a slot 31, a cleat 35, a block 36 bearing upon the top of the frame 31, and a horizontal bar 37, forwardly directed, hinged thereto at 33, and the lower ends of said uprights are reduced to fit into corresponding sockets 39, said uprights be- .ing reversible at will, one for the other.

Slidable in the slot 3% is a threaded rod 10 carrying a transverse bar 41 at its inner end,

having two eye-bolts 42, and being threaded in a plate 13 to prevent its passage through said slot when strain is placed thereupon in the manner later described, although said rod is readily removable from said slot, when desired, for storage; the bar 37 carries a pulley 14 at its rearward end, a pin 45 at its forward end, and a slide block 16 adjustable longitudinally thereon and adapted to be locked inadjusted position by means of a set-screw 47, said slide carrying two eyebolts 48 for guiding two stout cords 49 and 50 which are passed over the pulley 4A: and downwardly to the cleat 35, where they are fastened.

Adjacent the hinges of the frame members 11 and 12, I arrange two uprights 51 and 52, directly opposite each other, and which are joined by a transverse beam 53 by means of bolts and wing-nuts 5&, said uprights having longitudinal guiding strips 55 on their inner surfaces, and being locked to the frame member 12 by means of hooks 56; the beam 53 is provided with two holes therein, either of which is adapted to receive the pin 15 of the bar 37, in either position of said bar and its connected upright 33, for the right leg of a patient, as shown, or for his left leg, the board 15 being moved to the opposite side of the frame member 12 in the latter case, as it is desired to rest the uninjured leg on said board, and it is also desired to have an open space below the injured leg in order to pass the bandages or other dressing withoutinterference.

Vertically slidable along the guides 55 of the uprights 51 and 52 is a transverse bar 57 which has a plurality of holes 58 therein, and the ends thereof are each provided with clamps operated by wing-nuts 59, whereby said bar may be locked in any desired vertical adjustment, and it will be seen from the foregoing that a collapsible table is the result of the details shown and described in order to allow of the table being readily transported from place to place, as the need arises for it.

In Fig. l is shown one method of use of my device for reducing a fracture of the lower limb, and in which case adhesive strips 61 and 62 are placed about the lmee and ankle, respectively, to hold bandages or straps 63 and 64;, after which the patient is placed upon the table with all the parts in position shown in Fig. 1, including a hip supporting board 60, after which slings 65 and 66 are passed beneath knee and ankle, respectively, and over the bar 37, where they are secured, a supplemental sling 67 being employed at the supposed point of the fracture; the straps 63 and 64: are now connected with the'bar 57 and eye-bolts 4-2, respectively, and tension applied through the medium of the screw-bolt 40, the uninjured leg resting upon the board 15, in this case being the left leg, and it will be seen that the injured leg, the right, is thus supported at a height above the table in order to pass the bandages, to apply the plaster, or to apply splints, without interference.

In Fig. 5 is shown one method of reducing a fracture of the femur, in which case the patient is placed upon the table, the hip board 60 and bar 57 being removed, but the strap 20 is employed with the lower end of the spine, or the hip, resting against the same, said strap being under desired tension to prevent the patient slipping toward the foot of the table, the adhesive strip 68 having previously been applied to the knee, after which the strap 69 held beneath said strip is connected with the cords 19 and 50, and a weight 70 secured to the ends thereof, said ends being normally secured to the cleat 35, and the splints, plaster cast, and bandages may now be passed around the leg without interference, but I prefer to employ slings 71 and 72 for the knee and ankle, respectively, to ease'the patient.

In Fig. 6 I have shown another method of reducing a fracture of the lower limb by the gravity of the'body, the patient being placed upon the table, divested of the superstructure employed in the'previous methods,

the sling 73 placed in position at the'ankle by means of an adhesive strip 74:, after which the foot of the table is elevated a desired distance to cause the weight of the body to exert'and maintain tension on the leg and, because of the fact that the table is open beneath the injured leg, the splints, plasger cast, and bandages may be easily app 1e In Fig. 71 have shown another method for reducing a fracture of the femur by gravity, and in which case the adhesive strips 75 and 76 are passed around the .knee

and ankle, respectively, to hold a sling 77 '1 which is secured to the frame 31 at the foot of the table and, when this end of the table is elevated from12 to 18 inches, the body maintains a tension on the injured limb, and

the splints, plaster cast, andbandag'es may be applied as readily as in the previously described methods, and I may also employ the strap 20 in this use of the device.

It will thus be seen that I may use my invention for a number ofdifl'erent uses, and 1 in a number of different methods of use,

but in all such usesthe injured limb is subways the same, viz :to hold the portion of a limb in whichthe fracture occurs immovable and under adjustable tension, and clear of all elements ofthe table which might interfere in any manner with the dressing of the injured portion of the limb, and I may use elements not herein shown and described to adapt my device to other desired uses than those described, within the scope of the broad intent of the invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A device of the class described, comprising a frame, having a rabbet in the upper inner edge thereof, boards loosely arranged at one end of said frame and in said rabbet for supporting the body of a person, a board loosely held at the other end of said frame and adapted for arrangement at either side thereof to support a corresponding limb of said person, vertical supports on the latter end of said frame, means on one of said supports for applying tension to the other limb of said person to reduce a fracture thereof, means on said tensioning support for suspending said fractured limb above said frame, and means for maintaining said person in position on said frame, against the action of said tensioning means.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a frame having a rabbet inthe upper inner edge thereof, boards loosely arranged at one end of said frame and in said Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the rabbet for supporting the body of a person, a board loosely held in the other end of said frame and adapted to be moved from one side thereof to the other, to support a corresponding limb of said person, vertical supports at said latter end of said frame, means on one of said supports for applying tension to the other limb of said person to reduce a fracture thereof, means on said tensioning support for suspending said fractured limb above said frame, means for maintaining a person in position against the action of said tensioning means, said frame being formed of two members foldable on each other, and hinges connecting said members.

3. In a device of the class described, a frame, a transverse board arranged centrally thereof and removable therefrom, a metal support on said board, a strap passed thereover, and means for adj ustably securing said strap to accommodate the same to a person and thus serve as a stop to prevent movement of said person in one direction on said frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of the subscribing witnesses.

MAX SOHNUG.

Witnesses:

R. C. VVENDT, J. F. ZUnHLsDoRr.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, I). O. 

